Is our knowledge stored in our brain, or somewhere else?

Some people think the mind is not just stored in the brain but throughout the body, I can relate to this. Some even think that it exists as part of a field, with the brain a receiver.

An interesting phenomena that relates to your question is that of cellular memory in organ transplant patients, In particular the heart. Where the recipient takes on personality traits of the donor. Fascinating stuff.
And a real thorn in the side for modern neurology.

The cells are tuned to the individuals frequency IMO.
When the tv is broken the signal still exists right?

Originally posted by squiz
Some people think the mind is not just stored in the brain but throughout the body, I can relate to this. Some even think that it exists as part of a field, with the brain a receiver.

An interesting phenomena that relates to your question is that of cellular memory in organ transplant patients, In particular the heart. Where the recipient takes on personality traits of the donor. Fascinating stuff.
And a real thorn in the side for modern neurology.

The cells are tuned to the individuals frequency IMO.
When the tv is broken the signal still exists right?

I was just going to post this, however found a link that backs this up. Remembered reading about this ages ago:

www.mailonsunday.co.uk...

Originally posted by squiz
Some people think the mind is not just stored in the brain but throughout the body, I can relate to this. Some even think that it exists as part of a field, with the brain a receiver.

An interesting phenomena that relates to your question is that of cellular memory in organ transplant patients, In particular the heart. Where the recipient takes on personality traits of the donor. Fascinating stuff.
And a real thorn in the side for modern neurology.

The cells are tuned to the individuals frequency IMO.
When the tv is broken the signal still exists right?

Yes someone did mention something similar on page 1. I find that pretty amazing to be honest.

I'll have a look at the link Thebudweiserstuntman posted

Great Question S&F

However I don't think we will ever find the true answer, we can guess away all we like but my belief is that it's one of life's many mystery's, I would like to think we still remember our loved ones and so forth when we pass onto the spirit world. Maybe we see everyone as a loved on once we pass over, who really knows other that the ones that have passed away.

Edit to add:

I still think certain people in this thread will try to prove the answer, then go down the path of the 1st to the 7th or 10th or whatever astral plane. I still say "We will never know until the time comes"

[edit on 14-7-2009 by NotAgain]

reply to post by dmorgan


The amount of cases is quite overwhelming. And the accounts are equally extraordinary.
I'd have to say "No" memories are not just stored in the brain.

there is also some evidence to suggest that memories are also stored in the heart to some extent. People who have had heart transplants have found themselves acting like the person who the heart came from without knowing anything about them.

reply to post by VitalOverdose


Yes indeed, the heart has it's own neurons, that's right! Neurons in the heart.
New news to me. This makes those cases that much more compelling.

I was talking about the mechanism of data storage. In a computer, on paper, or in the human being, data is stored by manipulating the structure of something. In the case of our brains, it is complex set of manipulations. Some of them are just chemical potential changes but long term memory requires physical changes (internal changes to the way a neuron reacts to stimulus or new axions).

The place that memory is stored is much more interesting because we really don't know. What we do know is that there is as much grey matter in the spinal cord as there is in the brain. In fact, we know by studying people with martial arts training that the spinal cord is able to do some pretty complex reasoning without the involvement of the brain. We call this "muscle memory." It is the reason a well trained person can react in a fight faster than their brain's ability to keep up.

Jon

DMorgan,

If you like Hinduism and Buddhism, I think you might find interesting the ideas put forth in Sant Mat. It is not a religion, but a spiritual practice. Coming from a highly religious background as a child, I eschewed all religion for years. I didn't want religion, I wanted experience! There is a free online book about some experiences in that spiritual practice, and a nice chart showing the spiritual and physical regions. I point you to:

arranstephens.com...

The appendix has the chart I am speaking of. The levels are broken down into the physical, astral, causal, super causal, and purely spiritual regions. The astral region has a lot of weird things in it, including people who are still alive but dreaming, drunk, intoxicated, or in comas. The tunnel of light many NDE'rs talk of leads from the astral to the causal region. In this region, I believe you can create many things songs, poems, architecture, etc. Supercausal, I do not remember the basis of this plane off hand. Then the purely spiritual regions exist.

These regions are considered to be inside of you, not outside of you. You can access them through meditation. However, since there can be many weird experiences in these regions, Sant Mat suggests that you find a spiritual master to initiate you and guide you in the practice.

While I have experience with some "scientific" ways of accessing these regions (for example, the HemiSync Gateway Experience CDs. This scientific method can be read about in books by Campbell, Moen, and Robert Monroe) it seems from what I've read of others' experiences of these regions have been mostly confined to the astral and causal regions, with a smattering of spiritual. These can be difficult regions to "work" in without knowledge of them and in many cases, guidance.

People have spontaneously visited these regions, or have through practice, accessed them. However, you need a "formula" so to speak to access them regularly. I suggest looking into the areas I've mentioned above if you are interested in having more experiences.

[edit on 21-7-2009 by goobgirl]

[edit on 21-7-2009 by goobgirl]

reply to post by dmorgan


Information is stored "non-locally" as in neither here nor there, but potentially everywhere and simultaneously nowhere in particular. It is stored in systems, in arrangements of neurons, even within the shapes, the atoms and molecules and electrical signals of a single neuron itself. Or in any part of the subconscious, which in Jungian terms also includes your emotions, hormones, body, and the entire external world from which your body came. Which means the entire universe, save your consciousness itself, is your subconscious. And it's what stores all the information ever known, ever.



Edit to add, scientists have never been able to find where memories are stored in the brain or exactly how they are stored. They seem to be stored everywhere in potential states. When a signal approaches a neuron from one particular way, it will "spin" the electrical/magnetic biases of its neighboring neurons to form a stable meta-state of the local group of neurons. When a signal approaches the neuron from a different direction, a different stable state of EM energy forms corresponding to a different thought or memory. And there are millions and millions of neurons with many connections to both themselves and other neurons, offering incredible possibilities as far as the number of stable states the signals racing across them can form. These states are also based on the physical neuron connections themselves which is at least a partially learned mechanism, ie you consciously program the ways in which your neurons will carry signals through behavior repetition.

[edit on 21-7-2009 by bsbray11]

Originally posted by goobgirl
While I have experience with some "scientific" ways of accessing these regions (for example, the HemiSync Gateway Experience CDs. This scientific method can be read about in books by Campbell, Moen, and Robert Monroe) it seems from what I've read of others' experiences of these regions have been mostly confined to the astral and causal regions, with a smattering of spiritual. These can be difficult regions to "work" in without knowledge of them and in many cases, guidance.

I'm reading Journeys Out Of The Body right now by Robert Monroe.

Also I have the HemiSync Gateway Experience. I've done the first three but haven't had time to finish off the rest recently... damn busy world we live in. I'm going to start again and do one audio file each night without interruption.

This got me thinking of where the memories of a person with Alzheimers Disease might be stored. Or do these people prove that our memories aren't stored elsewhere but in our brains?
It would be a medical breakthrough if sufferers could reclaim their memories that have been externally somewhere. How wonderful it would be.

reply to post by Flighty


You should read this thread Blind people see during NDEs.

The memories are still possibly stored out of the body, but it could be that it's the physical disease of the brain (Alzheimer's in this case) which 'interrupts' the "wireless connection" between our bodies and the external knowledge base.

It's like having a weak internet connection, sometimes all the information doesn't come through and only half of a web page will load.

[edit on 22/7/09 by dmorgan]

I think others have touched on it, but there is a theory that the memories are stored in the Akashic Records which are encircling the Earth. Like DMorgan said, we kinda wirelessly tap into them. When our connection is broken, then we experience things like Alzheimer's. Also, this would explain how some people are able to "psychically" reveal the thoughts and past lives and experiences of others...they are tapping into the records.

However, while you are free to explore the regions that allow this, many spiritual masters say that you shouldn't play in these areas: meaning using the knowledge and revealing it to others. And definitely many of the spiritual masters say you shouldn't charge for spiritual things!! (Ok 1800 Psychic, you're busted! lol) Besides, everyone has their own interpretation of what they read. What if you read someone's akashic record and then told them about it, but you were wrong? That's why people seeking higher forms of spirituality don't dabble in these regions but move on to the higher, spiritual regions.

What about people with severe brain trauma that receive significant memory loss...sometimes even as far as becoming nothing more than a blank slate? Yes i would say memories are stored in the brain,but i have read the stories of people getting heart transplants and somehow having an interest in a hobby etc that the donor had.Of course if that were true someone would have to explain why it only happens in a small number of cases and not the majority if indeed memories were stored in the heart...

[edit on 22-7-2009 by Solomons]

reply to post by Solomons


Well, hearts have neurons in them, and the groups of neurons are actually where memories are stored in the brain (just in large groups and patterns, not specifically "here" or "there"), so that doesn't sound outrageous to me. What is more outrageous to me is having to take someone's heart out and put it into someone else, but I guess, you have to do what you have to do?

reply to post by bsbray11


But can you answer why if that was true that the number of these sorts of cases is very very small? I personally dont believe memories are stored anywhere except the brain because of what i outlined about trauma to the head and severe memory loss,coupled with the fact every single heart transplant patient would have memories of the donor and not just a small number of cases.Hell i may be wrong,but it makes sense to me personally.

[edit on 22-7-2009 by Solomons]

reply to post by Solomons


You are assuming there is some inherent pattern neurons take in the brain but not in the heart. I don't know anything about how memories for hobbies are recalled but I doubt the heart immediately re-wires itself, it would take some time.

our brain can acces the storage

There is believed to be something called "akashic records," a spritual library where everyone's and everythings psychic information is kept and recorded, the entire psychic and spiritual history of everything on Earth. Maybe it's our souls that are connected with our brains from above, and when our brains have lost that connection to our souls, because the brain "switches off" there is no longer a connection our souls have to the physical Earth, therefore giving us ghostly "out of body" experiences.